Driving mechanism for cotton pickers



July 4, 1933 w. R. WILLETT ET AL 1,916,704

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR COTTON PICKERS Filed Oct. l0, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l LQLM July 4; 1933- w` R. WILLETT ET Al. 1,916,704

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR COTTON PICKERS Filed Oct. lO, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 a i Ot @7 @5 (66 L Lv V5? `luly 4, 1933. wI R. vvlLLETT ET Al.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR COTTON PICKERS Filed Oct. lO, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 4, 1933. wl R, WILLETT ET AL 1,916,704

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR COTTON PICKERS Filed Oct. lO, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 f1 i $1 i l F1l 7,5

vSi

Patented July 4, 1933 i UNITED WALLAOR R. WILLETT, OrvNEWv-YO'RR, N. Y., AND HARVEY BROWN, or sT. LOUIS,

MISSOURI, AssIGNORsTO AMERICAN .OOTTON PICKER CORPORATION, ON sT. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE I DRIVING MECHANISM FOR COTTON TIOKERS Application flied october 10,1930. vsvnaiNo. 487,559.

This invention .relates ,to improvements in cotton pickersand related machines and mol particularly to mechanisms .whereby a machine driven `independently and at a fixed rate of speed is automatically controlledto accompany an operator moving at a variable or changing rate of speed.

Vln the typeof cotton picker machine to which the invention is particularly vdirected the locks of cotton fiber are detached from the bolls by amechanically driven picker head held in the hand of the operator kand brought manually by theoperator into contact with the locks of cotton to beldetached and picked, The detached locks are then instantly sweptthrough la conveyer tube to a collecting basket or bag carried on a suitable vehicle which also contains thel motive power and mechanism for driving the picker head and for creating suction yfor the conveyer tube. It is essential, therefore, that the vehicle accompany and be within a limited range of the operator ashe `movesffrom one cotton plant to another lengthwiseofethe rows Fil of cotton. u

As the weight ofthe vehicle andits mechaf nism is considerable, itis desirable to pro-v `vide a self-propelled vehicle so that the operator may be relieved ofthe necessity of dragging it as he progresses along the rows of cotton plants. rljhe rate of movement of the operator is not uniform, however, nor

does it vary in any d enite manner, but is determined by suchhaphazard factors as the f variable energy of the operator and the abundance Or sparseness of the cotton blossoms at various places in the rows.

An object of our invention is to provide a self-propelled mechanismffor vehicles of the above type in which the speed of the vehicle vautomatically adjusts itself to the variable or haphazardmovements of the operator moving in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle.

Other objects and features of the invention are to provide a driving mechanismbymeans of which the vehicle of a cotton picker or similar machine is driven at a constant speed suflicient to keep pace with an operator when moving at a maximum vpicking rate and by which the mechanism is interrupted ordis connected .when the machine advances ,toa

limiting forward Aposition relative yto that of theoperator; to provide means whereby the V.interruption of the driving ,mechanism and ,I

the stopping of the vehicle are accomplished l without the necessity for any action On the partof the operator; and to provide'means that are simple in construction and easy to Operate. A y

Other objects of the invention will more fully appear rfrom vrthe'lfollolwing specication. V rIvhe various. features of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings 1n`wh1ch- Fig. 1 is a vertical side view, parts being broken away, of a cotton picker embodying'a preferred form of our invention.,

Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of-a part of a cotton picker showing the actuating .parts of thecontrol mechanism. A

Fig. 3 1s a vertical view taken on line 3-73 of Fig. '2. u .l 'f v ,A Fig. l isa sectional View taken lon line ,4e-4; ofy Figg. l. .i

y Fig. A5 is asectional View taken on line .5 -5 of Fig. 1.

F ig. 6 is a sectional View takenron line 6 6 4 Fig. 7 is a plan view of afmodified vformof embodiment of apart. of the invention.

In theembodiment of the inventionillustrated in the accompanying drawings, the vehicle driving and control mechanism are shown as appliedto avcotton picker of y,the type illustrated in our co-pending application Serial No. 487,658.. In this typeof cot-l ton picker a cotton receiving receptacle 10 and a standard 11 for supporting the conveyer tube 12and picker elements 13 are ysupported on a vehicle 14 of such size that it may move between two adjacent rows of cotton rplants. The l'vehiclell is propelled by means of a motor 15l which, through a pulley 16 and belts 17 ,drives the shaft 18 of a blower 19 for creating a suctionthroughv the tube 12 from the picker head 13 to .the cotton receiving receptacle 10. The shaft 18 also drives the pickerelements 13 lthrough' a ilexilEO llt)

full length in any direction. It is, therefore,v

apparent that the vehicle 14fmust not lag behind the operator a distance greater than that corresponding to the length of the conveyer tube 12 nor advance beyond the limiting range of the conveyer tube.

In the operation of the machine, the machine travels between a pair of rows of cotton plants, moving in the direction to the left of F ig. 1, that is, with the picker elements at the advancing end of the machine. The operator normally walks at one side of the cotton picker machine, either slightly in advance of or to the rear of the picker elements and at the opposite side of one of the rows of cotton plants between which the machine runs. The operator may, however, step in front of themachine, if convenient. Usually there are two cotton picker elements and two operators for each machine, the position of one operator governing the travel of the machine, and the other operator keeping it straight in its travel between the rows.

In the embodiment of our invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the vehicle 14 is driven from the motor 15 through a transmission mechanism which gives the vehicle a-Yspeed corresponding to approximately the maximum normal picking speed, for example, a speed` of about fourteen feet per minute. In the event, however, that at any particular part of the row the cotton blossoms should be abnormally abundant, or the operator should slacken his efforts, his speed of movement may be less than that of the vehicle 14 and the driving mechanism is disconnected between the motor 15 and the axle of the driving wheel of the vehicle.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings, the transmission mechanism is driven from the pulley 16 through a drive shaft 24, the forward end of which is connected to and drives a worm 25 journalled in ball bearings 26 and 27 in the upper part of a housing 28. The worm 25 meshes with a worm gear 29 loosely mounted on a transverse shaft 30. The rotation of the worm gear 29 is transmitted to the shaft 30 through a speed reduction mechanism comprising a gear 31 integrally or fixedly secured to the gear 29 and meshing with a gear 32 which isin turn secured to a gear 33 meshing with a gear 34 keyed to the shaft 30.

Through a gear 35 keyed on the shaft 30 the latter drives a gear 36 mounted on the ring 37 on which the inner or driving gears .38 of an epicyclic gear train or differential are mounted. The gears 38 ofthe differential drive on one side a gear 39 keyed to a. hollowV shaft 40 on which is keyed a driving wheel 41 of the vehicle. The otherrdriven gear 42 of the differential gear train is rotatably mounted on a hollow shaft 431 which is aligned with the shaft 40 and carries the driving wheel 44, and is held in position by means of a collar 45 having a pin 46 securing it to the'shaft 41. The gear 42 is provided with a toothed clutch face 47 that is engagedby a clutch 48 slidably mounted onv the shaft 43. The clutch 48 is slidably fixed to the shaft 43 by means of a. pin 49 passing through a longitudinal slot 50 in the shaft 43l and is also secured to a longitudinally slidable shaft 51 within the shaft 43. The shaft 51 is normally urged toward the clutch face 47 of the gear 43 so as to'cause its engagement by the clutch 48 by means of a spring 52v encircling the shaft 41 and confined between a shoulder 53 on the shaft 51 and the retaining nut 54 of the wheel 44.

The wheel 44 is keyed at one end of the hollow shaft 43, the other end of which is pinned to the clutch 48. Accordingly, when the shaft 51 is actuated by the spring 52 to push the clutch 48 into engagement withv the clutch face 47, the hollow shaft 43 is driven from the differential gear wheel 43 which thereby drives the driving wheel 44 and, thus engaged, the vehicle is driven at a constant rate of speed through the driving wheels 42 and 44. When the operator fails to keep this pace and the vehicle advances to a setplimit in relation to the operator, the shaft 51 is drawn outwardly against the action of the spring52 thereby releasing the clutch 48 from the clutch Vface 47 and permitting the differential gea'r43 to rotate freelyl and without resistance. The driving gears 38 of the differential thereupon rotate freely on the shafts of the ring 37 and about the periphery of the gear 39, the driving gears 38 serving merely to rotate the free gear 42. Thereupon the vehicle comes to a stop until the operator has reached a position at which the shaft 51 ,is permitted to be shifted by the spring 52 and thus engage the clutch 48 with the clutch face 47. The withdrawal of the shaft 51 against the pressure of the spring 52 is vaccomplished by means of a cam 55, Figs. 4 and 5, confined between a collar 56 resting against the outer face of the nut 53 and collar 57 secured by means of a nut 58 to the outer end of the shaft 51. The cam 55 is rigidly mounted on a rock shaft 59 so' that when itis in its normal position it permits theV shaft 51 to shift toward the clutch face 47 and, when rotated, causes the collar 57 and the shaft 51 mechanism between said motor and the wheelsl of said vehicle, said transmission mechanism comprising a clutch and means for resiliently moving said clutch into engagement and means connected to the body of an operator outside said Vehicle for disengaging said clutch when said operator reaches a limiting distance from said Vehicle.

6. A cotton picker 'comprising a cotton rereceptacle, a Vehicle carrying said receptacle, picker elements carried and operated manually by an operator outside said vehicle, conveyer mechanism from said picker elements to said receptacle, a driving motor, a differentialv comprising a gear driven by said motor and gears meshing therewith one for each of two wheels of said vehicle, a clutch connecting one of said gears to its wheels and normally pressed into engagement, and means engagingthe body or" an operator for disengaging said clutch.

7. A cotton picker comprising' a cotton receptacle, a vehicle carryingsaid receptacle1 picker elements carried and directed manually by an operator outside said vehicle, con- Veyer mechanism from said picker elements to said receptacle, a-driving motor for driving said picker elements and said ccnveyer mechanism, transmission mechanism between said motor andthe wheels oi said vehicle, said transmission mechanism comprisinga normally engaged clutch, and means connecting' the body of said operator to said clutch to disengage the latter when the distance oft said machine from saidoperator reaches a limit.

8. A cotton pickercomprising a cotton receptacle, a Vehicle carrying said receptacle, picker elements carried and directed manually by an operator outside said Vehicle, conyeyer mechanism from said picker elements to said receptacle, a driving motor for driving said picker elements and said conyeyer mechanism, transmission mechanism between said motor and the wheels of said vehicle, said transmission mechanism comprising a normally engaged clutch, and a cord connecting the body of said operator to said clutch to disengage the latter when the distance of said machine from said operator reaches a limit.

9. A cotton picker comprising v a cotton receptacle, a Vehicle carrying said receptacle, picker elements to be carried and operated manually by an operator outside said Vehicle, conveyer mechanism from said picker elements to said receptacle, a driving motor for drivingsaid picker elements and said con- Veyer mechanism, transmission mechanismbetween said motor and the wheels-of said Vehicle, said transmission mechanism comprising a spring pressed clutch, a cam for withdrawing said clutch from engagement and means secured to the body of said operator for rotating said cam when the distance between said operator and said Vehicle reaches a predetermined limit.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto signed ourvnames. Y

' WALLACE a. wiLLnTr.

HARVEY i3. BROWN. 

